Exerciser



1934- I F. E. WOLCOTT 1,969,247

EXERCISER Filed July 3, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I g- 19348 F. E. WOLCOTTEXERCISER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1929 21 INVENTO FRA KE.

BY c424,,

ATTORN V.

expense.

Patented Aug. 7, 1934 UNITED STATES- PATENT o FicE EXERCISER I Frank E.Wolcott, West Hartford, Conn. Application my 3, 1929,. serial No.375,634 4 Claims. (01. iza-cs) My invention relates to exercisers. I

It has for its object to provide an improved exerciser. Other objects ofmy invention are to provide an improved exerciser unit and improvedsupporting means cooperating therewith whereby all necessity forproviding a separate exerciser stand or table, constituting anadditional piece of furniture, is eliminated. A further object is toprovide an improved exerciser having supporting means adapted to beconveniently supported in any usual doorway, such, for example, as acloset doorway, and also adapted when not in use to be conveniently andcompactly disposed out of the wayjinside the door, as for example,inside the closet. A still further object of my invention is to providean improved exerciser adaptedto be manufactured at small These and otherobjects and advantages of my improved construction will, however,hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown for purposes of illustrationone embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings,-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved exerciser in' use whenpositioned in a doorway;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the device when in use in a doorway;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device shownin inoperative position;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the exerciser in Fig. 1

when the same is not in use;

Fig. 6 is'a partial sectional view of one end ofthe exerciser unit;

Fig. 7 is a similar view of a modified construction wherein the wholeend of the motor is enclosed, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified construction wherein-postsother than those in a door-frame are used.

In this illustrative construction I have shown an exerciser unit,generally indicated at 1, of the motor type, andincluding at each end ofits motor shaft 2 improved exerciser operating elements 3, hereinafterdescribed, carryinig a usual belt 4; the unit 1 being also mounted on animproved support 5 supportedadjustably in an improved .manner relativeto. suitable'improved supports 6 and 7 on a door frame 8.-

Referring more particularly to the exerciser unit, it will be noted thatthe members 3, which are fixed to the endsof themotor shafts 2, are

in'the form' of rotatable cups having rounded belt deflecting flanges 9of any suitable length extending closeto the ends'lOof the motor andforming a shroud partially or wholly, as shown in Fig. 7, enclosing theshaft and the usual connections carried on the motor ends. It will alsobe noted that these members 3 are provided with a series of threadedapertures 11, 12, and 13, disposed on a fiat end surface thereof andparallel to the motor'shaft2 and spaced from the axis of the latter bydifferent distances, the aperture 11 being closestto the shaft, theaperture 12 next closest to the same, and the aperture 13 most remotefrom the shaft. In these apertures is selectively disposed a readilyremovable screw 'or-crank pin 14 herein having. areduced portion Tothreaded into the same and also'preferably carrying on itsbelt'receiving portion or shank and between the latter and its slottedhead 15, a sleeve 16 tending to'reduce the wear on the belt end. Thus itwill beevident that with each end .7 of the motor shaft equipped withone of these members 3, and with the screws'li displaced at 180 from oneanother as illustrated, it is made possible to obtain the desired degreeofbeltmovement and to vary the same as desired through 30 changing thepins 14 to different sets of apertures 11, 12, 13; Moreover, during theuse. of the device the portions 9 act not only to balance the motoreflectively but also as deflectors for the belt, in such man'neras .toprevent the .latter 35 from dangerous engagement with any part on themotor during operation,jsuch, for example, as the end bolts on the endsof the. motor. It will also be noted that they obviate all necessity forthe 'provision'of any supplementary shroud or shield carried by themotor, and that these rotating members, which are ordinarily highlypolished, produce a very. attractive device.

In my improved construction, this exerciser unit is also mounted in animproved manner. Herein, it is carried on a base 1'7 preferably cupped,as at 18, to receive the round bottom'of the motor casing, and on itsopposite side seated on the support 5. It will also be noted that a pairof bolts19, disposed at 60 to one another, isextended throughcountersunkapertures 20 in the support 5 and through thebase 17 and into the motorcasing, in such manner that these two bolts actto hold the parts"together securely. Attention is, moreover, directed tothe fact that .inorder to provide for the adjustment of the use, i. e. on one edge withits oppositely disposed enlarged flat surfaces in upright planes, asshown in Figs 1, while its supporting means 6 and '7 at its ends are soconnected to the doorway 8 as to support the member 5 against theopposite side of the doorway 8 from the motor unit 1 and strap 4. Thus,it will be evident that it is not only made possible to put the deviceinto use without any necessity for providing any separate stand ortable, as heretoforeprovided, but that the arrangement isalso such thatfull advantage is taken of the stable abutment provided bythe doorway,the pull on the belt 4 acting to bring,

the support 5 firmly against the-latter. I find in practice that thebest results are obtained whenthis member 5 is slightly resilient, and,that ai, wooden member 5 has, in addition-to this desired .The.supporting means 6 and 'lassociated with the support 5 are alsov ofimproved construction. Herein, the support 6 is in the form of a Umember formed of a single metal strap. -Its .body is also herein, aspreferably,'centrally attachedrto the door frame by a suitablywasheredswiveling member 24, herein a screw having its head .mov-

able at will into a recess 24 in the -member 5.

The armsof-this'supportfi are also slotted, as at 25,and extendlaterally vacross the'upper and lower edges of one end of the support 5.These slotted arms herein. alsoreceive in-their slots vertical'pins 26preferably-suitably set in an end strap 27 carried on that end of themember 5. The support 7, on the otherhand, comprisesa strap of'suitablematerial adapted to receive-the opposite end of the support 5 from.above and support the latter as illustrated in Fig; l.- This support '7is also adapted to be; attachedto. the door frame Bby any. suitablemeans, such, for example, as screws-28 beneath the same. Thus, it willbe evident that when the device. isinf use and pressure isexerted-against the, belt 4. in ;a

usual manner, the supportfi-will be held in-the .desired position by thesupporting means 6 and '7,

while the pull'on the belt'will cause-the support 5 to press the rubberbuttons 23 againstthe opposite sides of the door frame;

When. the device has been used, my improved construction also makes itpossible for it.to be compactly disposed out of the way in'such man-.ner as to allow fullruseofthe door and-of the closet between exercisingperiods. Herein, it will be noted that due to the swivel 24, theaperture 24, and the slot and pin connection 25, it is made possible forthe support 5 to be liftedupoutof the support 7 and then turnedabout;the pins 26 .as it turns about the swivel 2.4, in such manner as tobring it into'the depending position illustrated in Fig. 5, wherein itisvertically'disposed parallel to one side of the door-frame with itslower end against a rubber buttony29 on the door frame and with-the-unit1 projecting inward rather than outward, as when in use. :Thus, it

will be noted that whenever desired the device may be conveniently takendown and disposed out of the way without removing its support '6,-

and that it is also then ready to be again placed quickly in positionwhenever desired by simply lifting the lower end of the support 5 andswinging and turning the same until it drops into the support 7 in theposition illustrated in Fig. 1.

As a result of my improved construction, it is possible for the pins 14to be adjusted prior to use in the apertures 11, 12, 13, in such manneras to vary the amount of vibration to be obtained as desired. Further,by reason. of the-rotating combined deflecting, balancing and shroudingmembersB, all danger of the belt being caught -on the motor frame isobviated, at the same time that the motor is properly balanced and allnecessity for providing additional and expensive stationary shrouding isobviated. My improved construction also makes unnecessary all standsheld 'bythe weightof the operator, or tables or frames requiring a rigidconnection to the floor or wall,

instead being usable in any doorway. It is also possible to place. thesupport15 and itssupporting means 6 and 7 in anydesired elevation in adoorway when itis desired to use the belt on different parts of thebody-- Further, through the 7 use of the supplementary holes 22 .and theindependently- ;adjustable supporting means 6 and 7, it is possibletoadapt the deviceto use in door ways of different width. In thisconnection,, attention is'also directed to" the fact that the sup.-port'5 may, when desired, beturned-end for end in order to adapt it todifferent conditions, while by using a wooden support 5, inaddition tothe advantages of resiliency and light weight, it is also made possibleunder extreme conditions'for theuser to. adjust the necessary buttons23and shorten the member5 as desired, without inany wayinterferringwiththe rest of the device. The unit' 1 in suchcases, andwheneverdesired for other-reasons, may also be adjusted into the supplementary holes 21, 22', which also adapt it to cc;- cupy, asubstantially-central, position in doorways .ofdifferent width orforconvenient use where for some reason a central position is notdesirable.

It will further be noted that when it is in its inoperative position the'device is disposed close to the door frame in such a position as to.make .it especially adapted to mounting inside doors such as closetdoors and without interference with the articles hung inthe closet, thesupport 5 being close to the door frame and the unit 1 ordinarilybeingbelow the articles in the-:closet and disposed so close to the doorframe as in no way to interfere with access to thearticles hung aboveit. Attention is also directed to the fact that through my improvedconstruction it is made possible to produce an exerciser apparatuswhich, while adapted to' perform all'of the functions of a: table orstand mounted exerciser, has vgalso additional possible adjustments andadvantages notfound'therein and which is further adapted to bemanufacturedand sold at a substantially lower figure, in such manner assubstantially. to increase the possible field of use of such devices.

It will; of course, be understood that otherexer cisermeans'thanabelt'may be substituted if desired. These and other advantages ofmyimproved construction will, however, be clearly. apparent. to thoseskilled in the art. 7 j In Fig. 8 I have illustrated aconstructionwherein the members 8, instead of being part ofadoor frame,are in the form of separate upstanding posts 30, herein suitably bracedand attached at their-lower ends, as at 31, this construction not beingpreferred, for-reasons above noted, but being usable under certainconditions where desired What I claim as new and desire to secure by ILetters Patent is:

1. An exerciser unit comprisinga motor-and rotating motor shroudingmembers at the ends of said motor, said members carrying crank pins. 2.An'exerciser unit comprising a motor and rotating motor shroudingmembers at the ends of said motor, said members carrying crank pins, andsaid shrouding members having external deflecting surfaces.

3. An exerciser unit comprising a motor and rotating motor shroudingmembers at the ends of said motor, said members carrying crank pins, andsaid shrouding members each having a series of apertures for selectivelyreceiving its pin.

4. An exerciser unit comprising a motor and motor shrouding members atthe ends of said motor, said members carrying crank pins, and eachshrouding member having a series of apertures for selectively receivingits pin and disposed parallel to the motor shaft at different distancestherefrom.

FRANK E. WOLCO'IT.

